Rotary bar guide assembly

ABSTRACT

A rotary bar guide assembly for a door locking mechanism having a front guide plate disposed against a backing plate with both plates being secured together and to a door panel adjacent a horizontal edge of same, the front and backing plates having complementary portions offset forwardly from the plane of the door panel. A rotary locking bar being adapted to extend vertically between the two plates. The backing plate laterally confines the front plate and has a slot engageable by a lip formed on a rotary locking bar.

United States Patent 11 1 White 1 Sept. 4, 1973 ROTARY BAR GUIDEASSEMBLY 2,944,303 7/1960 Uphues 292/218 Inventor: Clarence E. white shW s. 3,627,366 l2/l97l Ceruttr 292/2l8 [73] Assignee: White Welding andMfg. Inc., Primary Examiner-Charles J. Myhre Kenosha, Wis. AssistantExaminerBarry Grossman Filed: Jan. 1972 Attorney-Edward F. Jurow [21]Appl. No.: 221,158 [57] ABSTRACT A rotary bar guide assembly for a doorlocking mecha- 52 US. Cl 308/15, 292/218, 308/238 having a from guidePlate disposed against a back- 51 1m. (:1. Fl6c 35/02 s Plate with bothPlates being secured together [58] Field of Search 308/15; 292/218, to adoor panel adjacent a horizontal g of Same, the 292/D|G 5 front andbacking plates having complementary portions offset forwardly from theplane of the door panel. 5 Regerences Cited A rotary locking bar beingadapted to extend vertically UNITED STATES PATENTS between the twoplates. The backing plate laterally 3 695 66] 0,1972 P t 292/2";confines the front plate and has a slot engageable by a 314511705 6/1969rfiigi 'iiiiiiiliijji"""""""'III.. 308 15 formed on a rotary locking2,297,007 9/1942 Lounsbury 308/15 4 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures v 9 72 5072 i l J PATENTEB SEP 4 i975 ROTARY BAR GUIDE ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention My present invention pertains to aguide assembly for the rotary locking bar of a door locking mechanism ofthe type used on trucks and cargo containers of the types presentlybeing used in rail, sea, air and road transit.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art rotary bar guideassemblies known to be in current use comprise a planar backing plateand a front guide plate adapted to confine a rotary locking bartherebetween. No provision has been made in such assemblies forclose-to-the-door-edge mounting or for positively restricting lateralmovement between the two plates. Further, the known guide assemblieshave not made adequate provision whereby a portion of any axial rackingforces exerted on the rotary bar in either direction are taken up by theguide assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My present invention is concerned with a guideassembly for the rotary locking bar of a door locking mechanism whichovercomes the foregoing disadvantages of presently known guideassemblies. Specifically, the guide assembly of my present invention ischaracterized by backing and front plates which have complementaryforwardly offset portions which permit mounting the assembly closeto thetop or bottom edge of a door panel with, for instance, the offsetportions overlying a wider than normal door sealing gasket. The offsetportions further permit providing slot means on the backing plate inwhich an annular lip formed on the bar end of a rotary locking bar isengageable whereby axial racking forces on the locking bar are partiallytaken up by the backing plate bolted to the door panel. The backingplate of my invention further has means for positively preventing anylateral shifting movement between the front and back plates.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial front elevationalview of a rotary bar door locking mechanism showing a preferred embodiment of the rotary bar guide assembly of my present invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken generally along line 2-2 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken generally along line 3--3 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along line 4-4 ofFIG. 1 with the front guide plate removed;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the front guide plate of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the backing plate shown in FIGS. 2 and4; I

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a split plastic bearing used in theembodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified backing plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1through 4, there is illustrated the lower portion of a rotary bar doorlocking mechanism 20 having'a rotarybar guide assembly 22 embodying mypresent invention. The door locking mechanism 20 includes a rotarylocking bar 24 having a forged bar end 26 secured to the bottom endthereof in a known manner. The bar end 26 is characterized by a pair ofaxially spaced annular lips 28 and 30 and by a radially projectinglocking finger 32 at its lower end. The lower end of the locking bar 24and the upper portion of the bar end 26 are rotatably retained on a doorpanel 34 by the guide assembly 22.

The locking finger 32 is adapted to be engaged in a keeper member 36mounted on a portion of a door frame member 38, as best illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 3. The keeper member 36 is characterized by a U-shaped bodyportion 39 and outwardly directed flanges 40 which are secured to thedoor frame member 38 by suitable fasteners 42. The locking finger 32 isengageable with the keeper member 36 through suitable slots 44 formed inside portions 46 of the U-shaped body portion 39. It is understood thatthe upper end of the rotary locking bar 24 is provided with a bar endhaving a locking finger engageable in a keeper member as well as a guideassembly, which latter is identical to the guide assembly 22.

The new and novel rotary locking bar guide assembly 22 of my presentinvention includes a backing plate 48, a front guide plate 50, both ofwhich may be formed of 10 gauge steel starnpings, and, in the embodimentof FIG. 1, a split plastic bearing 52a, 52b. For reasons that vwill bediscussed hereinafter, the-locking bar guide assembly 22 of my presentinvention is particularly well adapted for close-to-the-door-edgeinstallations as, for instance, where for various reasons it is notpractical to use bolts or screws immediately adjacent the door edge orwhere a wider-than-normal sealing gasket is secured to the door edge.The guide assembly 22 disclosed herein may even have a portion thereofextending past the door edge.

As best illustrated in FIG. 6, the novel backing plate 48 ischaracterized by a first planar portion 54 which is adapted to bedisposed flush against the door panel and by a generally planar portion56 which is offset forwardly of the first planar portion 54 and spacedaway from the plane of the door panel 34. The offset portion 56 isdisposed at the end of the backing plate 48 adjacent to the edge of thedoor panel 34 and is connected to the first planar portion 54 by anintegral inclined portion 58. A plurality of bores 60 are provided alongthe sides of the first planar portion 54 of the backing plate 48 forsecuring same to the door panel 34.

The front guide plate 50, which-is generally complementary to thebacking plate 48, is characterized, as best illustrated in FIG. 5, by agenerally semicylindrical vertically disposed central portion 62 and bya pair of side flanges 64 adapted to be seated flush against the backingplate 48 along the side edges thereof. A portion of the guide plate sideflanges 64 are forwardly offset, as at 66, complementary to the offsetportion 56 of the backing plate 48 including integral complementaryinclined flange portions 68. The side flanges 64 of the front guideplate 50 are provided with a series of bores which are aligned with thebores 60 provided in the backing plate 48 so that the backing and frontguide plates 48 and 50 may be secured together and to the door panel 34by suitable fasteners, such as bolts 72; g

The forwardly offset side flange portions 66 of the front guide plate 50are each provided with at least one through bore 74 whereby tofacilitate spot-welding the front plate 50 to the forwardly offsetportion 56 of the backing plate 48 to further strengthen the connectiontherebetween. To prevent lateral movement of the front guide plate 50relative to the backing plate 48, embracing flanges are provided on oneof said plates to abut against the side edges of the other plate and, asillustrated, the offset portion 56 of the backing plate 48 is providedat its side edges with forwardly projecting flanges 76 which abutagainst the side edges of the forwardly offset side flanges 66 of thefront guide plate 50 whereby to laterally confine same therebetween.

In the embodiment of the guide assembly 22 shown in FIG. 1, the splitplastic bearing 52a, 52b (FIG. 7) is provided for the rotary bar 24, thebearing 52a, 52b being disposed between the semi-cylindrical portion 62of the front guide plate 50 and the backing plate 48, as shown in FIG.2. The bearing portions 52a, 52b are provided on their rear surfaceswith mating rearwardly projecting semi-cylindrical bosses 78a, 78b. Thebacking plate 48 is provided with a cylindrical bore 80 which is adaptedto receive both of the semi-cylindrical bearing bosses 78a, 78b wherebyto properly align the split plastic bearing 52a, 52b relative to thebacking plate 48.

The backing plate'48 is provided on the first planar portion 54 with arotary bar guide member 82, which is spaced above the split plasticbearing 52a, 52b, and on the forwardly offset portion 56 with a rotarybar guide groove 84.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, the forwardly offset and inclinedportions 56 and 58, respectively, of the backing plate 48 are providedwith a horizontally disposed slot or notch 86 which is adapted toreceive a portion of the annular lip 28 formed on the bar end 26. Withthe lip 28 engaged in the slot or notch 86, a portion of any axialracking forces exerted on the ends of the rotary bar 24 are transmittedto the door panel 34 through the backing plate 48 and the mounting bolts72 whereby to partially relieve the racking forces on the bar 24, thelocking fingers 32, and the keeper members 36.

In some instances it may be preferred that the split plastic bearing52a, 52b not be used. In this case, a modified backing plate 148 (FIG.8) may be utilized. The backing plate 148 is quite similar to thebacking plate 48 and is characterized by a first planar portion 154having mounting bores 160 and a bar guide member 182, by an inclinedportion 158, and by a forwardly offset portion 156 having forwardlyprojecting side flanges 176, a lip engaging notch or slot 186, and a barguide groove 184. The backing plate 148 differs from the backing plate48 in that the bar guide member 182 has a greater vertical length thanthe guide member 82. To further compensate for the non-use of a plasticbearing, the bar guide groove 184 may be shallower than the guide groove84 and the bar guide member 182 may be spaced a greater distance fromthe planar portion 154 than the guide member 82.

While I have shown and described what I believe to be two peferredembodiments of my present invention, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various rearrangements and modifications may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention.

I claim:

1. In a rotary bar door locking mechanism, an improved rotary bar guideassembly comprising,

a. a backing plate having a first planar portion adapted to be seatedagainst a door panel and a second generally planar portion offsetforwardly of said first planar portion and spaced from the plane of saiddoor panel adjacent a horizontal edge of said door panel,

b. a mating front guide plate having a generally semicylindricalvertically disposed central portion whereby to accommodate a portion ofa rotary bar between said central portion and said backing plate andhaving a pair of side flanges adapted to be seated flush against saidbacking plate along the side edges thereof, a portion of said guideplate side flanges being forwardly offset complementary to said offsetportion of said backing plate, and

slot means provided in said backing plate and adapted to receive aportion of an annular lip formed on the rotary bar.

, 2. A guide assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein means are providedon one of said plates for laterally confining the other plate, saidconfining means comprises a pair of forwardly projecting flanges formedon the sides of said forwardly offset portion of said backing plate andadapted for abutting engagement with the side edges of said offsetportions of said side flanges of said front guide plate.

3. A guide assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein a split plastic rotarybar bearing is disposed between said backing plate and said generallysemi-cylindrical central portion of said front guide plate, each portionof said split plastic bearing is provided on its rear surface with arearwardly projecting semi-cylindrical boss and wherein said backingplate is provided with a cylindrical bore adapted to receive both ofsaid semicylindrical bearing bosses whereby said split plastic bearingis properly aligned relative to said backing plate.

4. In a rotary bar door locking mechanism, an improved rotary bar guideassembly comprising,

a. a backing plate adapted to be seated against a door panel adjacent ahorizontal edge thereof,

b. a mating front guide plate having a generally semicylindricalvertically disposed central portion whereby to accommodate a portion ofa rotary bar between said central portion and said backing plate andhaving a pair of side flanges adapted to be seated flush against saidbacking plate,

0. a plurality of aligned bores provided in said guide plate sideflanges and said backing plate so that same may be bolted together andto said door panel,

d. rotary bar guide means on said backing plate,

e. slot means provided in said backing plate and adapted to receive aportion of an annular lip formed on a rotary bar, and

f. means on one of said plates for laterally confining the other plate.

1. In a rotary bar door locking mechanism, an improved rotary bar guideassembly comprising, a. a backing plate having a first planar portionadapted to be seated against a door panel and a second generally planarportion offset forwardly of said first planar portion and spaced fromthe plane of said door panel adjacent a horizontal edge of said doorpanel, b. a mating front guide plate having a generally semicylindricalvertically disposed central portion whereby to accommodate a portion ofa rotary bar between said central portion and said backing plate andhaving a pair of side flanges adapted to be seated flush against saidbacking plate along the side edges thereof, a portion of said guideplate side flanges being forwardly offset complementary to said offsetportion of said backing plate, and c. slot means provided in saidbacking plate and adapted to receive a portion of an annular lip formedon the rotary bar.
 2. A guide assembly as recited in claim 1 whereinmeans are provided on one of said plates for laterally confining theother plate, said conFining means comprises a pair of forwardlyprojecting flanges formed on the sides of said forwardly offset portionof said backing plate and adapted for abutting engagement with the sideedges of said offset portions of said side flanges of said front guideplate.
 3. A guide assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein a split plasticrotary bar bearing is disposed between said backing plate and saidgenerally semi-cylindrical central portion of said front guide plate,each portion of said split plastic bearing is provided on its rearsurface with a rearwardly projecting semi-cylindrical boss and whereinsaid backing plate is provided with a cylindrical bore adapted toreceive both of said semi-cylindrical bearing bosses whereby said splitplastic bearing is properly aligned relative to said backing plate. 4.In a rotary bar door locking mechanism, an improved rotary bar guideassembly comprising, a. a backing plate adapted to be seated against adoor panel adjacent a horizontal edge thereof, b. a mating front guideplate having a generally semi-cylindrical vertically disposed centralportion whereby to accommodate a portion of a rotary bar between saidcentral portion and said backing plate and having a pair of side flangesadapted to be seated flush against said backing plate, c. a plurality ofaligned bores provided in said guide plate side flanges and said backingplate so that same may be bolted together and to said door panel, d.rotary bar guide means on said backing plate, e. slot means provided insaid backing plate and adapted to receive a portion of an annular lipformed on a rotary bar, and f. means on one of said plates for laterallyconfining the other plate.